Automatic telephone switch



Dec. 1, 1925. 1,563,740

H. W. GOFF AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SWITCH Filed April 8. 1922 Patented Dec.1, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD W. GOFF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO 'WESTERN ELECTRICCOMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SWITCH.

Application filed April 8 1922.

fl '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I'TAROLD 1V. Gorr, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic TelephoneSwitches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exactdescrip tion.

This invention relates to automatic telephone exchange switchingapparatus, and more particularly to the so-called coordinate switch.

The invention is peculiarly adaptable to a switching system of the typedisclosed in Patent No. 1,515,735 issued to C. L. Goodrum et al. onNovember 18, 192 1, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat this invention may be applied equally well to perform the functionof selector or connector switch.

The object of the invention is to provide an economical and improvedform of coordinate switch which will be simple and reliable inoperation, and readily accessible for repairs and replacementsofoperating parts.

feature of this invention is the provision in a switch of the characterabove set forth, of individually removable rotatable grid elements onwhich the link conductors are insula-tedly mounted. The grid elementsbeing rotatable, are adapted to effect a wiping engagement with theirassociated sets of flexed wire conductors.

Both sets of conductors are preferably in the form of bare wires. oneset, the link conductors, being helically arranged in the notches ofinsulating strips mounted on rotatable bars. The other set comprisingflexed wires extends through said notches and is normally held out ofcontact with the link conductors by means of a plurality of small cardsof insulation one of which is individual to each set of flexedconductors or contact members. Selecting and operating mechanism isprovided whereby any card may be moved independently of the others tobring its associated conductors into engagement with the adjacent set oflink conductors.

Other features of invention will appear from the detailed descriptiongiven below in connection with the accompanying draw- Serial No.550,617.

ing, in which Fig. 1 is a partial front assembly view of the switch.

Fig. 2 is a partial side assembly view showing one set of contactmembers in operated position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective partial view of an assembly of a rotatable linkbar, notched insulating strip and a set of conductors helically arrangedthereon' The sets of link conductors 1, 1 1 and 1 are preferablyhelically arranged in the notches of insulating strips 2 which aremounted in channel shaped members 3 and held secure thereon by anysuitable means. The members 3 are mounted on bars 4L rotatably mountedon the switch frame (not shown) and held secure thereon by means ofbolts, screws or rivets 5. Magnets 23 having armatures 24 are providedfor operating the bars 4:.

Upright supports 6 of insulating material also attached to the switchframe (not shown) are disposed at right angles to conductors 1, 1 1 and1 and carry the flexible wire contact springs or conductors 7, 8, 9, 10and 7 8 9 10 etc. The supports 6 may carry any desired number of sets ofcontact springs dependent upon the switch capacity desired. Forsimplicity of illustration, however, only two such sets are shown onsupport 6 in the partial view of Fig. 2, the supports being omitted inFig. 1. The free ends of each set of conductors 7, 8, 9, 10, etc. extendthrough an aperture 11 of a plate member or card 12 of insulatingmaterial, into the notches of insulating strip 2. The card 12 is mountedon a resilient support 13 which is fixed at one end portion to theupright support 6, and has its free end l lnormally resting in thebottom of a V-shaped groove 15 of the downwardly extending lug 16 whichis preferably made integral with the ehaimel-shaped member 3. Thesupport 13 is flexed to normally hold the card 12 and the correspondingcontact springs flexed up out of contact with the link conductors. IIndividually associated with each support 6' is a bar 17 which isjournalled at its end portions in the switch frame (not shown). Securelyattached to each bar 17 is an armature 18 which is arranged to beattracted by electromagnet 19 whereby the bar 17 is operated through asmall angular displacement. The bar 17 is provided with a flexible arm21 adjacent each set of contact wires carried by the support 6.

Each horizontal bar or link bar, as it may be properly termed, isprovided with a number of rigid arms 20. Each of these arms isindividuallyassociated with a set of active contact wires and an arm 21,and has a vertically disposed portion engaging in a vertical slot 26 orthe card 12, and serving as a guide for the lower portion or the card.

The cards 12 are each provided at their lower ends with a horizontalslot 22 in which the free end of an associated arm 21 is adapt ed tomove into engageable relation with arm 20 of bar l, the arm 21 beingnormally out of the path of said arm 20.

hen the vertical bar 17 is rotated out 01' its normal position byelectromagnet 19 the end portion of arm 21 is driven into engageablerelation with arm 20 and, the subsequent rotation of bar l -through theenergi zation of magnet 23 results in lowering the operating card 12;soas to permit the contact wires 7, S, 9, 10 to engage the link conductors1, 1 1 and 1 respectively with a wiping movement, The operated; linkjbartogether with arms 20 thereon remain in their oil normal positionthroughout the duration of the connection, but the vertical, bars 17 maybe immediately restored to normal.

Following the engagement of the contact wires and; link conductors, thecard 12 continues its downward movement and frees the wires/Z 8, 9,10from contact with the card, so that subsequent movement of the bar 17'in the establishment of other coexisting connections. will not betransmitted through the card.12 to the wires todisturb their contact.with the wires 1,, 11 1 1 .v

What is claimed is 1 In a switching mechanism,v a plurality of notchedinsulating members, sets of conductors. helically arranged thereon, sets01': flexible contacts arranged inv rows coordinate to saidsetsofconductors, and means for, se lectively establishing connectionbetween said. sets of conductors and said sets ofcontacts.

2. In a switching mechanism, a plurality of sets'of rotatablemembers,sets of co-nduc-' tors helically arranged on, said members, a pluralityof: sets-offiexible contact members arranged in. rows coordinate to,thefirst; 1nentioned-sets, a selecting bar for each; row of. contactmembers, a; plurality oflarms on each of said selecting bars,said,arms-associated individually with said. sets, of, contact membersbut; normally out of operable; relation therewith, andmeans;operablethrough e; "c jqin operation of, sa d: rotatable members; and: said;selecting. bars; toseffiect engagement between said "sets of contactmembers ndseiitsatssoi, conductors 3. In a switching mechanism, aplurality of notched insulating members, conductors helically arrangedin the notches thereof, a plurality of sets of flexible conductorsarranged at right angles to said first-mew tioned conductors andextending through the notches of said insulating members but normallyout of contact with said conductors, a selecting bar individual to eachrow of flexible conductor sets, a rotatable operating bar for each ofsaid insulating members, means for actuating said bars individually, andmeans whereby the conjoint actuation of one of said selecting bars andone of said operating bars establishes a connection between a conjointactuation of one of said; selecting,

bars and one of said operating bars establishes a connection between'aset of flexible conductors and a set, of helically arranged conductors,at their intersectingpoi'nt.

5; In; a: switching, mechanism, a plurality of sets of flexibleconductors, a plurality of notched members,conductors seated in saidnotches and: helically wound on said members, means for individuallyoperating said members, a plurality of. bars associated with said rowsof flexible conductors, and. means for "individually operating the saidbars, the conjoint operation of: one of said members and one ofsaidibarsbeingeffective to movev aset, of said flexible conductorsandtoy impart a rubbing action between said flexible conductors and.- theirassooiatedrhelically' arranged conductorsat their intersect ingpoint,

6".v In a switching mechanism, a multiple contact bank; comprising. laplurality of? sets of, bare; wire conductors, and a notched insulatingsupport. therefor, the wires of; one of said: sets being guidedJ-intoengagement withlthe other set by'said notches,

7-. In a switching mechanism, movable memberssets of conducting elementshelicallyarrangedv thereon, sets of iflexible contacts; arranged, inrows; coordinate to said sets of conducting elements, a-nd,meansforselectively establishing connections between said} sets of: elementsand; said sets of con} teats; through. the increment. of, aid; 11161111' hers, the movement of said members effecting a wiping contact betweenengaged elements and contacts.

8. In a switching mechanism, movable members, sets of conductingelements helically arranged thereon, sets of flexible contacts arrangedin rows coordinate to said sets of conducting elements, means forselectively establishing connections between said sets of elements andsaid sets of contacts through the movement of said members, and meanseffective upon continued movement of said members to produce a Wipingcontact between engaged elements and contacts.

9. In a switching mechanism, a plurality of sets of conductors arrangedin parallel rows, aplurality of sets of flexible contacts arranged inrows coordinate to said rows of conductors, each of said contact setsbeing adjacent to one of said sets of conductors, an operating card foreach of said sets of contacts, a bar associated with each of saidfirst-mentioned rows, a plurality of arms on said bar each associatedwith one of said cards and serving as a guide therefor, a selecting barindividual to each row of oontact sets, and an arm on each of saidselecting bars associated with each of said firstmentioned arms, theconjoint operation of one of the first-mentioned arms and one of thesecond-mentioned arms being effective to actuate an operating card toeffect engagement between a set of conductors and a set of contacts.

10. In a switching mechanism, supporting members, a notched guide membersecured to each of said supporting members, sets of conducting elementsarranged thereon, a plu- 'ality of sets of flexible conductors extendingthrough the notches of said guide members but normally out of contactwith said conducting elements, and means for establishing connectionsbetween said sets of elements and said sets of conductors.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5th day of AprilA. D. 1922.

HAROLD IV. GOFF.

